Houston is the US’s fourth largest city and headquarters to NASA. It is great, bright and energetic, just like everything in Texas should be. It is a busy, cosmopolitan city which offers much to those that live there. The population of the town sits around 2,239,558 (2016 estimate) while the wider metropolitan area’s population is over 6 million.
School System
Houston is known for having some of the most significant and most accredited education in the United States. All the public school systems are monitored by the Texas Education Agency (Tea). As of 2018, 24 school districts serve different sections of the city of Houston.
The largest school district serving the city limits is the Houston Independent School District(HISD), which serves a vast majority of the area within the city limits. Most likely your children will be placed under the HISD.
A portion of west Houston falls under the Spring Branch and Alief independent school districts. Aldine takes parts of northern Houston. Parts of Pasadena, Clear Creek, Crosby, Cypress-Fairbanks, Fort Bend, Galena Park, Huffman, Humble, Katy, Klein, New Caney, Sheldon, and Spring independent school districts also take students from the city limits of Houston.
Employment Information
The unemployment rate went up around to around 6% at the time of Hurricane Harvey due to its destruction, however now the unemployment rate is at an all-time low of 3.8%. The industry of construction that’s seen the highest growth in the construction industry at 8%. This is the first time in a while that construction jobs grew and this could be attributed to Hurricane Harvey.
The two sectors that saw the most growth are Manufacturing, which grew 7.1%, and Mining which increased 5.8%. Every other industry saw growth as well except for information which dropped 1.9%. Regardless, Houston seems to be a continually growing city that is consistently in demand of new professionals.
Entertainment
With Houston being such a large city means there are plenty of entertainment options scattered around town. If you’re into music there’s everything to cater to your tastes from jazz, rock, and of course the indie scene. If you’re looking for a good theater, then Edwards Houston Marq’E is perfect if for a more substantial experience where you’ll be spoiled with excellent sound, 3D, and the latest films.
There are plenty of hot spots if you’re looking for a good time. One hot spot is iFly where you and your group can go and do exactly what you think. Fly. They are the world’s biggest indoor skydiving companies, and they’ll be right in your back yard. The Escape Game is also precisely what you think it is and it’s a brilliant place to bring your family, friends, or coworkers to improve on teamwork.
Local Food
Of course, in Houston, you’ll be surrounded by a plethora of Tex-Mex food on every street. However, you may be surprised that Houston has a wide range of different types of cuisines. There are some locations both high class and family owned that are worth visiting.
At Frank’s American Revival they serve American food with a bit of culinary soul. They tout that they always use the freshest ingredients from the local Farmers Market. One famous dish here that’s a must try in the chicken fried steak.
Killen’s Texas BBQ is another location that you must stop by at least once. They pride themselves off retaining the heart and soul of the old school BBQ cook-offs. If you love BBQ, then you’ll be right at home at Killen’s.
Housing market
Real estate market is on the rise according to the Houston Association of Realtors’ (HAR) 2018 annual report which states that a single-family home sales rose 3.8 percent to 82,177 while sales of all property types totaled 98,323, a 3.7-percent increase over 2017’s record volume. Total dollar volume for full-year 2018 jumped 21.5 percent to a record-breaking $28 billion.
Transportation
The public transportation system in Houston is run by Metro and consists of an efficient road and rail system. As Houston is such a large city, it is probable that you may need to take several buses and trains to get to and from your destination.
Here are some examples of ticket costs:
Adult Single Metro – $1.25
One day ticket – $3.00
Monthly season ticket, unlimited – $45.50
Weather & Climate
Get used to humidity. Houston’s known for having high heat and even higher humidity, and it’s a reputation that’s well earned. Most of the year, the city’s temperatures hop between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (15 and 27 degrees Celsius), and you can almost always bet the sun—or the precipitation—will be at maximum capacity. However, while warmer temperatures are the norm, it’s not uncommon for the mercury to rise 30 degrees throughout a single workday, especially in the winter.
If you need storage in the Houston area, please view our Houston storage locations.
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